Awkwardness
by Lark11
Summary: This short story is set the day after the events of my first story, Just Feelings. Lois goes to see Chloe to discuss what happened only to be interrupted by Jimmy and then Clark. Just for fun. Not as detailed or serious as the first.


Awkwardness

Part I

Chloe and Jimmy were sleeping soundly when a knock interrupted their apartment's silence. Chloe's eyes slowly opened. She looked confused and a little bit annoyed. _Who could it be at his hour?_ she asked herself when she saw that her alarm clock read 7:30AM. It was way too early on a Sunday morning to have any visitors. She checked on Jimmy, who miraculously had not even budged at the sound of the knock, proceeded to quietly sneak out of bed, and went to answer the door. _This better be good_, she thought.

"Good, you're awake," Lois greeted Chloe. She had a smile as bright as a full moon and two cups of coffee in her hands. She handed one to her stunned cousin as she walked past her and into the apartment.

"Lois," Chloe said, unsure of what this was all about. She closed the door and turned to her. "What's up?"

Lois looked around. "Jimmy still asleep?"

"Yeah. It's seven-thirty in the morning. Sunday. What are _you_ doing not asleep?"

Lois took a deep breath and said matter-of-factly, "I kissed him.""Kissed who?" Chloe asked, genuinely bewildered. When Lois raised her eyebrows, Chloe immediately realized whom she meant. "You and Clark?" She smiled whole-heartedly. "Oh, my God. Are you serious?" Lois nodded slowly, but her face was unreadable to Chloe. "So…what's wrong?"

"What now?" Lois practically screamed. Chloe made a gesture and glanced at the bedroom. "Sorry," Lois whispered.

Chloe followed Lois to the couch, and they sat side by side. Lois set her coffee cup down on the table. "Okay, so, let's back up a little," Chloe told her. "How'd it happen?"

A small smile appeared on Lois' lips at the memory of her kiss with Clark. It seemed as if it had been ages ago, though it was only the day before; however, at the same time, she could swear that if she closed her eyes, she could still feel his lips on hers. His scent lingered all over her even after a couple of cold showers.

"He was helping me move," Lois explained. "And we got into a fight, and then we were kissing."

"Naturally," Chloe agreed. "Fighting often leads to kissing."

"It was more than a kiss, though," Lois added.

Chloe's eyes widened. "You didn't!"

Lois looked at her cousin, confused for a second. Realizing what Chloe thought, Lois quickly corrected her. "No, no. We didn't…you know." Chloe looked slightly disappointed. "I just meant that it was – incredible," Lois continued. "I mean, that Smallville…I mean…wow." Like last night, Lois was at a loss for words.

Chloe nodded in agreement. "I know," she said, smiling at Lois. They both laughed. "So what happened after you kissed?" Chloe asked excitedly.

"There was more kissing. Things were knocked down, there was a wall or two…and then I think I was the one who finally pulled away. And we said see ya later, and he left."

Chloe was trying to imagine the scenario. "Okay. Awkward."

"You can say that again."

"Has he called you?"

Lois got up and laughed, walking over to the kitchen area. "Please, Chloe. He's not some guy I met at a bar and made out with." She started to fix herself up a bowl of cereal. "It's Clark Kent. He's going to call me." But the moment she said it, Lois stopped what she was doing, her eyebrows furrowed in uncertainty.

"That's not what I meant," Chloe offered. "I just meant, you know, if you guys have talked about it."

"That's what I'm worried about," Lois admitted. "I just don't know where we're supposed to go from here." Lois pulled up a chair and sat in it, exasperated.

Chloe smiled suggestively. "Don't you?"

This time the message was loud and clear. "Chloe, no. Get your mind out of the gutter."

"You put it there," Chloe smiled. She walked over to where Lois sat and sat down on a chair opposite. "Look, you won't know until you talk about it. Clark may be as confused as you are, so he might be a little hesitant about opening up the conversation."

"I don't know," Lois replied.

"What do you mean?" Chloe asked.

"You should have seen him yesterday, Chlo."

"I don't think my presence there would have been conducive to the making out, Lois."

"That's not what I meant. I mean, you should have heard the way he was talking to me. He had this confidence. I mean, he really knew what he was doing." Off Chloe's suggestive look, Lois quickly added, "Talking-wise."

"Right," Chloe agreed unconvincingly.

"That Smallville is pretty darn sexy when he's all sure of himself. You saw it first, and I can't believe I completely missed it."

"I don't think you completely missed it, Lois. I just don't think it was quite there before."

"Yeah, but the sweetness? That's always been there. And he was being so sweet yesterday…when he wasn't being an over-confident jerk." Her expression became more thoughtful. "But he wasn't being a jerk really. He was being honest, more honest than I have been with him or even with myself." She sighed. "I don't wanna mess this up, Chlo. Smallville's the sweetest guy I know, and he's one of my best friends, as much as I don't like to admit it to anyone, least of all him. I'm scared that if it doesn't work out..." She trailed off.

"Lois, are you sure you aren't more scared that it might work out?"

Lois looked at her, a defensive expression on her face. "Why would I be scared of that?"

"Because it's Clark Kent. Did you ever imagine when you first crashed into Smallville, that he was the guy you were going to fall for? Did that thought even occur to you?"

Lois furrowed her brow in her usual way and answered honestly, "Of course not. A guy like that, honorable and good? That's not usually the guy I fall for. That's not usually the guy who falls for me." Lois smiled to herself, and after a moment added almost as if she was simply thinking out loud, "But then again, it took me awhile to realize how honorable and good he really is. He just seems so…unreal sometimes. Yeah, sometimes his heart leads him to mopey-land, and I just want to smack him upside the head and bring him back to Earth, but I've never met a guy whose heart was always in the right place. I guess I didn't think I could fall for a guy like Clark Kent because I didn't know a Clark Kent could possibly exist. Or that he could possibly exist for me." Lois finally glanced at her cousin who was trying to suppress a smile. "What?" Lois asked defensively, realizing how sappy she must have sounded to Chloe.

"Nothing," Chloe responded. She bit down on her lower lip in an attempt to keep her smile from widening. When she got it under control, she added, "Just that you are totally crazy about him."

"Crazy about who?" Chloe and Lois both turned in the direction of Jimmy's voice. His hair was still tousled, and he was in his pajamas. On his face were remnants of the scaly monster's attack at his and Chloe's wedding, but besides these fading bruises and healing cuts, he looked well.

Before Lois and Chloe could answer, there was a knock on the door. "Geez, doesn't anyone call anymore?" Chloe asked playfully.

"I'll get it," Jimmy said as he walked to the door and answered it.

On the other side of the door was a beaming Clark. "'Morning, Jimmy," Clark said cheerfully. He was carrying two cups of coffee in his hands.

"Clark," Jimmy replied, "come on in." Clark walked past him and immediately set eyes on Lois.

"What are you doing here?" Lois and Clark asked in unison.

Chloe smiled. "That's familiar," she noted.

"Yeah, what brings you by, C.K.?" Jimmy asked.

Lois and Clark's eyes were locked from the moment they saw each other. Clark, finally registering Jimmy's question, broke their eye contact and turned to Jimmy. "Nothing. I just thought I'd stop by and see how you guys were. I brought coffee for you and Chloe."

"Actually, Lois brought me some, thanks," Chloe replied. She could no longer suppress her smile as an awkward silence crept into the room. Chloe looked back and forth from Clark to Lois, waiting expectantly. Jimmy, oblivious, frowned in confusion.

Finally, Clark broke the pervading silence. "I didn't realize you were going to be here," he told Lois. His eyes once again seemed only to focus on her; his attention only on her. And when she smiled up at him with the lips he had, less than twenty-four hours before, just kissed, just tasted, he wanted more than anything for everyone else to go away so he could kiss her again.

"I just came by to talk to Chloe," Lois answered. She, too, had her eyes focused on Clark. And when he smiled at her response, she inadvertently glanced at his lips and thought about kissing them again. Coming to see Chloe suddenly wasn't such a good idea when all she wished was to be back at her own apartment in Metropolis with Clark.

Chloe, meanwhile, was mindlessly biting a fingernail. She could practically feel the tension between her best friend and her cousin. She was on the edge of her seat, waiting to see what would happen next. _This was more than worth waking up at 7:30 on a Sunday morning_, she thought to herself.

"So, since you guys are here, why don't I make some breakfast," Jimmy offered, breaking the nail-biting tension.

Lois and Clark started speaking at the same time, "No, that's okay, I was just headed home…" "No, I've had breakfast." Normally, when they spoke over each other or at the same time, they would look annoyed, but because too much had happened, they did something that neither Jimmy nor Chloe had ever see them do in each other's presence before. They both looked down and blushed.

Jimmy glanced at Clark and then at Lois. He smiled as a sudden realization crept up on him. "Crazy about him," he said aloud. "I knew it!"

Lois practically jumped out of her seat. "We gotta go," she announced. She took the coffee cups from Clark's hands and handed them to Jimmy. "Jimbo, good to see you up and about. Chlo, thanks for the talk. Sorry about the waking up thing." Before either Jimmy or Chloe could respond, Lois had taken Clark's hand and led him out of the apartment, shutting the door behind them.

Jimmy and Chloe stared after them stunned. After a moment, Jimmy turned to his wife. "Lois and Clark? I think someone owes me fifty bucks," he said triumphantly.

Part II

"What did Jimmy mean by that?" Clark asked as Lois was leading him downstairs.

"I'm not sure," Lois replied casually. "He did just come out of a coma."

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Clark stopped. "Lois…" Lois stopped, too, and turned to look at him. "What?"

Clark could only stare at her, and then he looked at their still-entwined hands. Lois had not let go since she grabbed it and led them out of the upstairs apartment. He looked back up at her face.

"Your silence is killing me, Smallville," she said finally, a little uncomfortable. "It makes me a bit nervous."

"I make you nervous?" Clark asked playfully.

"Your silence makes me nervous," Lois repeated. She looked down at their hands when she felt Clark tighten his hold on it. She felt chills tingle down her spine as he caressed the top of her hand with his thumb.

"Talking can be overrated sometimes," Clark responded. And when Lois looked up, his face was so close to hers that she could feel his breath. She caught her own as he leaned in even closer to kiss her, but for some unfathomable reason, she broke away.

"But we do need to talk," she said as she stepped back.

Clark was taken by surprise. He could have sworn she was the one with super speed considering how fast she had seemed to distance herself from him. "Uh…um…of course," he stuttered. Having Lois so close only to be denied shook him more than he thought possible. If it was possible, Clark Kent's knees were a bit unsteady as he walked towards Lois. He smiled at her, thinking about their kiss. "I couldn't sleep last night," he said after collecting himself. "I kept thinking about what happened."

Lois smiled, relieved. "Me, too." She caught herself, though, not wanting to allow herself to float too high in a bubble that she feared may eventually pop. "I just…I'm not sure where to go from here."

"Isn't it obvious?" Clark asked.

Lois frowned. "No." _Was it obvious? _she asked herself. She didn't have very much experience with relationships, but she couldn't believe that Clark Kent knew more about the rules of courtship than she did.

"I think it's only natural that we take it to the next level," he offered.

"The next level?" Lois repeated nervously. Though the idea of going to _that _level with Clark crossed her mind more than once (especially in the last few hours), the idea that it could actually happen made her especially nervous. "I'm not sure…What I mean is, I don't think that we should rush into things," she finally managed to articulate. "We're friends, and we kissed, yes, but that doesn't necessarily mean we have to go _there_ right away. I mean, not that I don't want to. I just don't think that now is a good time to - "

"Date?" Clark asked, bewildered.

Lois exhaled. "Date?" She blinked, realizing her mistake. "Date. Of course. Right. The next level would be to date."

Clark smiled knowingly. "What did you think I meant?"

Lois' eyes narrowed, sensing his playful tone. "Nothing." Lois turned around, breathing out in relief that she had misinterpreted Clark's suggestion.

"So are you free tomorrow?" Clark asked hesitantly. Even though he was the one who had suggested an official date, he felt extremely apprehensive about asking Lois out. It was as if he just realized who he was asking out.

Lois turned to him and flashed her confident smile. "Sure, Smallville."

"Great. Dinner then? Maybe at seven, if that's good for you."

"Or we could go straight after work."

"I'd rather be able to pick you up," Clark said shyly.

Lois couldn't help but smile. As much as she found confident, self-assured Clark terribly irresistible, she knew in her heart of hearts that it was the purely sweet, gentle farm boy that brought out her feelings of protectiveness and (not that she would ever admit it) absolute adoration. "Oh. Okay. That sounds good, too."

"Is there any place in particular you'd like to go?"

"Surprise me," Lois replied. Clark smiled, nodding in agreement. "Well, I have to get going. Tess wants that Congressman story on her desk first thing tomorrow. I'll see ya, Smallville."

"Lois," Clark called after her. Lois turned around and watched him walk slowly over to her. He wanted to say a million things to her, but when her eyes met his, all he could do was look back, an overwhelming feeling of an unnamable thing taking over all the words he had in his memory. It was more than her beauty that struck him. It was everything he saw in her eyes – all the intelligence, all the strength, all the kindness, and all the warmth.

Lois waited for Clark to say something, but she recognized that whatever he wanted to say, he lost. It made her feel flattered to know that it was because of her that he had lost it. And she simply smiled, reached a hand to one side of his face, and tiptoed to kiss the other. Her lips lingered on his cheek for longer than a moment, and when she did pull away to look into his eyes, their faces remained intimately close. They both had a slight smile on their lips, and all they wanted to do was to hold each other at that moment; however, neither admitted it by actually putting thought into action. But they both could feel it. The moment wasn't searing with built-up tension. There was no tension here. Instead, there was calm; there was a peace that they both felt as Lois' hand caressed Clark's cheek, and the tips of their noses grazed gently.

"I should go," Lois whispered.

"Me, too," Clark agreed.

But neither of them pulled away from the other. Lois closed her eyes and breathed out a breath she thought she must have been holding in forever. She would never get anything done if Clark Kent kept looking at her the way he did.

Clark watched her with her eyes closed. His own eyes seemed to examine every detail of her face. Once again caught completely unawares by her beauty, he sighed.

Lois opened her eyes again at the feeling of his breath on her forehead. She looked up at him, smiled, and finally pulled away. She stood still with him for a moment before heading for the door again; but just as she reached it, she turned back to him and said in a much more light-hearted tone, "Don't worry, Smallville, the next level's even better." She winked at him and disappeared out the door.


End file.
